Loved this book! Not only are the characters and world SUPER well-written, but the voice is what does it for me. This is one of the rare instances where voice is actually a character in of itself. You can feel the anger and the frustration of the protagonist just burning through the lines, and it's REAL. It's both expected but still manages to surprise you. Highly-recommended!

I received an ARC from Net Galley. The book cover and description intrigued me. The actual novel is superlative. Margaret Owen created a world with Germanic roots then inhabited it with a group of characters as varied as people you would meet in life. Vanja is the thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth daughter who hands her over to Death and Fate because thirteen is just too many mouths to feed. Fast forward to Vanja at sixteen, masquerading as a princess in order to rob the gentry of their jewels so she can escape her life. Her Godmothers, Fate and Death, sent her off to be a maid to grow up and choose which of them she would serve. Vanja refuses to choose. After suffering beatings and abuse both sexual and verbal (note possible triggers) she jumps at an opportunity and by posing as Princess Giselle, she faces the possibility of marriage to a very frightening character. Enter the Low God Eiswald who curses Vanja with death in a month if she can't "make amends for what she took." She's also in danger of being discovered and tried as a thief. Little Thieves is one of the best books I've read this year. Excellent worldbuilding, believable characters and a plot so intricate you will be surprised and pleased by then end. Owen deals gently, but truthfully with themes of abuse and neglect. Vanja is in a position to make amends and also has to learn to trust SOME of the people around her. The dialog is sharp and often funny. I will read this again, recommend it to everyone and purchase several copies for the library as as gifts. Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Victoria Schwab will adore this book as will anyone who enjoys an exquisitely crafted fantasy. I hope that survivors of the aforementioned neglect and abuse might find some hope or relief in Vanja's tale. Thanks so much to Net Galley for the chance to read the ARC.

This was aimed at YA, but being as she was seventeen, Little Thieves by Margaret Owen makes a name for itself by creating a wonderful story for both YA and adults alike.

Little Thieves is marketed as a YA novel because the narrator is seventeen years old, but I think this book will also be popular with adult audiences. The immediate introduction of Death and Fortune grabs readers. And the stunning depictions of the Low Gods delighted me every time they appeared. This is another of those novels that reads like a mature fairytale, with the perfect mixture of darkness and fantastic elements. The characters were well-developed and their evolving relationships make this story a gripping read.

Little Thieves has definitely put Margaret Owens on my list of auto-buy without thinking about it authors!

I think what I loved most was not only was this a retelling of The Goose Girl (I’m a sucker for a retelling) but it was from the point of view of an antihero. She wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t meant to be liked and we had to watch her overcome a lot of trials and errors to watch her blossom and it just made me feel so whole inside.

This was a fairytale of a darker kind full of twists, action, hurt and love. The amount of snark and imagination that went into this story still has me smiling ear to ear. The way Vanja (the main character) is almost talking to us, her audience, was such an awesome touch. Also the little tiny enemies to lovers we were gifted is ***chefs kiss ***.

I can’t say enough good things about Little Thieves and can’t wait to read the rest of Owen’s books.

Vanja grew up as a maidservant of princess Gisele, and was abused by the family while the princess watched on in silence. Vanja’s godmothers, Fortune and Death, are two of the lower gods who watch over the Blessed Empire. When her mother figures told her that she needed to choose one of them to serve, she chose defiant independence over a life of further servitude. Now, she is living a double life of deception and thievery, impersonating the princess Gisele by day and robbing the aristocracy of their jewels by night, while the real Gisele lives penniless in the slums. But a run-in with an angry god has left her cursed, and running out of options. She has to make amends for her transgressions within two weeks, or else she will suffer a painful fate, fitting for a jewel thief: death, by way of slowly turning into the precious gems she covets.

I adored Margaret Owen’s Merciful Crow duology, so I was really excited to get her newest book! I do enjoy fairytale-inspired stories, but “The Goose Girl” is not a fairytale I am familiar with, so I basically went into the story with no expectations as to what might happen. What I found was utterly delightful, an intriguing world of magic populated by vividly drawn characters. Vanja and Gisele are deeply flawed but understandably so, and the character growth they both show over the course of the book is fantastic. The dialogue is excellent, the pacing keeps the story moving along, the romantic subplots were enjoyable, and the plot is captivating – although the book is just as much about the lasting effects of trauma, and learning how to trust again after that trust has been shattered.

In short, I loved it. I can’t wait to see what Margaret Owen cooks up next.

Representation: Lesbian main characters, other LGBT side characters, genderfluid side character and mentions of trans people (if any of the other named characters are trans, it is not mentioned.) Queer people and queer relationships are not just included, but entirely normalized within the world of this book.

Tw: child abuse, child neglect, PTSD

Margaret Owen never fails to impress.
Yet another richly imagined, amazing fantasy world with interesting, fleshed out characters and adorable rivals/lovers romance.
Literally all of my favorite things.
It felt perfectly paced, the imagery as always was superb and I fell into the story with little effort.
At this point, I'll buy anything she writes xD
10/10 would definitely recommend.

For some reason, I ended up reading a whole pile of Goose Girl retellings all in a row. I actually love fairytale interpretations but I have a few criteria. I really like when the author does something new with it. I really enjoyed Little Thieves for all the elements it added to the story. Honestly I don't think the Goose Girl base was even really necessary here because the book had plenty to stand on on it's own. It was also retold through the "villain's" POV but it turns out the bad girl is a big softie and just handed a rough start in life. It was fairly believable to watch her figure out she's the good guy eventually. The romance wasn't overwhelming and the guy respects her intelligence. My only complaint is that the book dragged a little bit about 2/3 through and I would have liked to see a but more personality from the Goose Girl herself. I will definitely look out for this author going forward!

Margaret Owens is a goddess. What a fun, exciting, thrilling book. I loved every page and every character. I highly recommend it!

I think Margaret Owen is brilliant for writing a retelling of The Goose Girl. In a literary YA world that's saturated by Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone retellings, this was a refreshing offering.
Unfortunately this starts out much too slow. I kept putting the book down and trying again, encouraged by the positive reviews, but it just wasn't for me.

I loved this book, and I loved reading it. As a retelling of The Goose Girl, it was loose but clearly in conversation with the original tale, which I deeply appreciated. All the little references were great. I really loved this cast of characters and this story, and I'm so glad for that.

I just found the most amazing book I didn’t even know I needed.

I don’t know where to start. Unsurprising considering I never do with books I LOVE.

From the very first chapter, I knew this was going to be a 2021 favorite. There was just something so addicting about the author’s writing. I didn’t want to stop reading and I never wanted it to end. This book deserves to be read in one sitting and that’s something I definitely regret not doing. But life kept getting in the way of my reading and there was nothing I could do about it. *sigh* The bright side? I had a chance to savor this. And savor it I did.

It wasn’t hard to love Vanja. She’s a liar and a thief. And is unapologetic about it. But even knowing all that and especially after learning all about her past and everything she had to go through to survive, it wasn’t hard to feel empathy for her. My heart broke for Vanja quite a few times. I wanted to keep her safe and be her bestfriend. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this strongly for an MC before.

I don’t even know what to say about the romance. Or Emeric Conrad. Are words even sufficient? But in the spirit of not spoiling anything for anyone because trust me when I say it’s so much better to read it for yourself, I will say this– it did not disappoint and it was everything I needed and wanted. How can two people who are polar opposites in every way be so perfect for each other?!?

Little Thieves gave me the most lovable, most adorable characters ever written. Vanja, Emeric, Ragne, Joniza and Gisele- what an amazing cast of unforgettable (and hilarious) characters. Ragne surprised me in a really good way and she’s definitely my favorite.

And eventhough I know that the author wrapped up the end perfectly, I still need more of this wonderful, brilliant, magical and highly entertaining world. (And if there’s a petition I can sign anywhere for a sequel, can anyone please point me to it?)

Hear me when I say, y’all need to read this.

You bet I will be reading this again before the year ends.

I received an ARC to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.

Author Margaret Owen already has a following due to her successful Merciful Crow series and I was very intrigued by the synopsis of Little Thieves coming out this fall. I loved the energy of the characters and oh how flawed they are! The only thing that Vanja needs is survival.. but still that takes skill, money, time. She has skill at stealing money and a specific identity (Gisele's) but she is not in a fantastic situation even though she technically is to marry a prince.

There are so many fun elements in this story such as fairy tale (Grimm's!) vibes, godmothers, orphans, magic, palace guardian goblins, rags vs. riches, wicked rulers, nerdy love interests, I could go on..but I absolutely love the antihero plot.

While the writing style was witty and flowed well with interesting storytelling chapter openings, there were hiccups for me with the Germanic words. They were heavily used and it was a bit maddening for me trying to work out the context of the foreign word. The other noticeable thing is that I felt like I was rushed to the ending and boom it's done. I wonder if I just wanted to live in the world of Vanja and Gisele for a while longer.

My favorite supporting character was Ragne (probably because she shape shifted into a cat) and I was rooting for her side story to work out. She was a sweet thing who could have been a pain in Vanja's life but instead she helped her out of many situations.

Because there were so many different things going on that I may have missed, I am putting this book on a very high pedestal that has potential for a re-read. While this is a stand-alone I would like to read more about this set of diverse characters. Little Thieves is a thrilling adventure and now I am going to have to read some of the other books by Margaret Owen

Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have gods as your godparents? Vanja would tell you it's not all it's cracked up to be. I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of "The Goose Girl", even though I wasn't very familiar with the original fairy tale. The lessons about greed and honesty mixed with fantasy and romance had me devouring this book. I was thrown off by some of the words used (the original text is German) and the gods/creatures referenced. I did end up Googling some stuff, particularly Poldi, which is one of my favorite side characters from this book.

It's sometimes hard watching these characters make terrible decisions (you really want to scream at them), but that makes their growth journey even better at the end. I appreciate that the growth of the characters didn't feel rushed and that Vanja had many different types of relationships to navigate (friends, family, lovers).

Personally, I think it would be kind of cool to have Death and Fortune as my godmothers. All the gods we see, especially during the climax scene, were all very intriguing and it makes me want to read more about them. I'm glad I picked up this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fresh fairy tale adaptation that might make you cry (a few times), and make you wonder if you should leave some mead by your fireplace for Poldi.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was a delightful story, written in Owen's wonderful tongue-in-cheek voice. It has plenty of wit and irrevenrence and was so cheeky in parts. *chef kiss* I immeditely loved Vanja, who is the quintisential morally-gray character. I love when an MC isnt just "good", and toes the line instead. Though, to be fair, Vanja has stepped pretty firmly over the line, but for understandable reasons of course. I loved how the story unfolded bit by bit, and more was revealed of Vanja and her past as things progressed. It kept me, as the reader, on my toes and made the book hard to put down!

As for the rest of the cast, I adored Ragne. She's so wholesome and almost the antithesis to Vanja. Emeric surprised me constantly, mostly by making you underestimate him and then proving you wrong 3 pages later. Loved him for that. I felt like we could have seen Giselle fleshed out a bit more, since her story is - at its core - central to what happens here, but I will forgive that since this is Vanja's tale.

All in all, this book solidified Margaret Owen as an auto-buy author for me. First the Merciful Crow duology, and now this? I can't wait to see what she gives us next!

This was a really great read! The pacing was slower (more adult fantasy pacing then ya). I loved the characters and chemistry between them. There were so many small world details and I loved hie Vanja’s past was incorporated into the current story like. The Junior Prefect was my fave character. I loved him so much. I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy! All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one. I've heard that it is loosely based off of The Goose Girl, but I'm not familiar with the original story.
I've read Owen's previous duology and enjoyed it, so when I saw this was available for request on Netgalley, I jumped on the opportunity.

In this book we follow Vanja, a thief, who has taken over Princess Gisele's identity, and is about to be married off to man she hates. This book started out quickly, and I was invested from the get go, but I think the overall plot itself shines less than the characters do.
I really enjoyed all of the characters that we get to meet in this book, from Poldi, to Ragne, Emeric, the real Gisele, and more. Their group dynamic and timid one-on-one relationships are what really sealed my enjoyment and investment into the story. I truly think that Emeric is one of those "cinnamon roll" characters that we always hear about.

There are definitely some moments that feel very slow, by having the pacing feel just a bit off. The last 50 pages felt a bit rushed in comparison the the slow burn and small moments that we had just been taking our time with a few chapters ahead of this point.

Overall I really enjoyed this. I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed Owen's previous works, or readers who are more character driven readers. I'll be picking up a copy when this one gets released in October!
I'd also happily read more about this world, and about Vanja and Co.'s next adventures.

I have really mixed feelings on this one, and things will get mildly spoiler-y be low:

This book starts off following the jewel thief Vanja - once maid to the Princess Gisele, she has now become the Princess herself by wearing a magical pearl necklace that alters her appearance. Vanja is using her new found freedom as the Princess by robbing the nobility blind so that she can save up enough money to escape the kingdom and the low gods who pass judgement (including her godmothers Fortune and Death, who are demanding she server one of them). On what is supposed to be Vanja’s last heist before she is truly free, she crosses the god of the forest and is cursed for her greed: she will slowly turn into diamonds unless she can make up for her past wrongs before the next full moon. Obviously this throws all of Vanja’s plans out the window. On top of this a Prefect of the old gods has been called to investigate the string of robberies against the nobility. Did I mention that Vanja has no real companions she can confide in, and that the Princess’s betrothed Margrave Adalbrecht is abusive, insane and on his way back to the castle?

I honestly should have loved this, the world building and lore were AMAZING. I also loved the MC Vanja, she was funny and smart and clever. However, I didn’t really like any of the other characters and thought Princess Gisele got off way to easy. I also didn’t like how Gisele and some of the other characters treated Vanja. Like after everything that Vanja went through its pretty obvious that anyone with enough courage/nerve would have done what she did?
I honestly think a lot of this could have been solved with the introduction of another maid who was in the loop on Vanja's heists or at least someone who supported her. Vanja just got the short end of the stick WAYY too much in this book, and it got old after a while.
I did like the character Ragne- daughter of the forest god, but she also feel under Gisele’s “charm” and I would have preferred to see Vanja and Ragne become closer friends or even lovers :: shrugs :: Which leaves me with the Prefect Emeric Conrad, was I supposed to like him? I was almost warming up to him up until a certain conflict towards the end of the book. I think it went too far, and was surprised that Vanja forgave him.

Due to these events unfurling I went from lovvvving the first half of this book to forcing myself to finish the second half. I’m still interested in reading more books by this author and think this story was written really well, I just wasn’t a fan of the character development towards the end. You could say this one just wasn’t my cup of tea, but I think other readers would def enjoy it.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a contemporary version of The Goose Girl which I can't say I'm familiar with, however I really enjoyed the stories and the characters. I'm typically not a huge fan of Science fiction/fantasy, but I was able to immerse myself in the story with no problem. This is my first book by Margaret Owen but it won't be my last!

When it comes to books I loved, I have a hard time putting my thoughts into coherent words. You see, ignoring the fact that there's so much inner squeeing is a difficult thing to do. Alas, I will try my best. After adoring Owen's previous duology, I was thrilled when I found out she was writing a new fantasy, a twisted version of "The Goose Girl." I was even more excited when I was approved for an arc. And it is with great pleasure that I give this book 5 stars.

But, hear me out, while I loved the book, the beginning was a little hard to get into. At times, it felt like readers were just thrown into this fantasy world and expected to find our way around. It did take a little while, but eventually that feeling dissipated, and instead I found myself enchanted by the German-influenced world, full of monsters and mysteries of old folklore.

The best part of this book is the characters. We're introduced to a slew of them, and yet many of the main cast have well-rounded personalities and backgrounds. The primary story point, though, is Vanja's incredible character arc. I felt so connected to these characters that my emotions were swayed by their plights. I was so absorbed within this book that the real world faded into the background, and if that's not the mark of a good book, then I don't know what is.

Once again, Owen has hit the ball out of the park. This dark tale was told with a hint of humor and a spark of romance, and I was sad to see it over. This is a book to put at the top of your TBR!

TW: mental, physical, and emotional abuse

Review published to Goodreads July 27, 2021.